


The Invisible Universe

by GammaCapNashira



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, M/M, Xenobiology, and kind of like a cuttlefish?, capitalism is bad kids, i know its unrealistic but ethan went into stem, mark is an alien, space, there's some dark shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:00:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28008087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GammaCapNashira/pseuds/GammaCapNashira
Summary: The year is 3054. The earth has died, with cities falling into the polluted seas, sky filled with smog. Countries disbanded, and the human race is ruled instead by four powerful supercorporations. Many people are born off world, looking for another habitable planet. Ethan Nestor-Darling is a bioxenoanthropologist, drawn into the shady world of the ship the Crispin when Amazon buys his contract for unknown reasons.Elsewhere, an alien is fighting for his life, held in a cell far from home with no family left alive. He wishes they would let him die, until one human saves his life and his whole universe changes.This is the story of the scientist and the creature, and how love can change everything.
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor
Comments: 18
Kudos: 66





	1. The Scientist

**Author's Note:**

> here it is. my space opera angst xenobiology fic that is 100% My Shit and no one else's. this might be my fucking magnum opus.

****

Ethan never intended to be an astronaut. He never expected to be a xenobioanthropologist either. He didn’t expect to end up halfway across the galaxy on a research ship, and he definitely didn’t expect a call from the largest corp on or off world to call their craft, asking for him.

“Dude this is the chance of a lifetime!” Brian said as Ethan packed the last of his stuff into a storage cube and shrunk it, fitting it into his pocket.

“I don’t know if I’m ready Brian,” Ethan said, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t even know what they want  _ me  _ for.”

“I wouldn’t pretend to know,” Brian said, leaning against the doorway to Ethan’s now empty cabin. “But you’re going to make  _ bank _ doing it.”

“Come on,” Ethan said, stepping into his suit, “I’m the most useless member of the team. Nobody’s ever  _ seen _ an alien like for real, what do they want a xenoanthropologist for?”

“You’re selling yourself short man,” Brian said, “You’re also our best medic and a freakin biologist.”

“Yeah there’s a whole lot of biology out here,” Ethan said, rolling his eyes. “And Amy is better at patching you lot up than me.”

Brian raised his hands in a placating manner, “Ok I can see you’re just down to bitch today. Don’t let Alanah hear you though, or she’ll snap your neck.”

Alanah was the captain, and she was definitely not one to take anyone’s shit. Their crew was small, just Ethan, Alanah, Brian, Tyler, and Amy. Tyler was the weapons specialist and damage control, doing both jobs with finesse. Amy was their head medic and fellow biologist, though she was more specialized in human anatomy than Ethan. Brian was a sort of jack of all trades, stepping in and being an extra set of hands whenever they were needed, as well as head of communications. Ethan felt useless. He was versed in a few alien races, studying the ruins that had been found on a few planets over the years, but he wasn’t the best in space, being rather forgetful and clumsy with his foot in his mouth.

“Yeah yeah,” Ethan said, rolling his eyes and tucking his helmet under his arm. “Let’s just get to the bridge, it’s almost time for me to go.”

Brain pushed off the door and they walked together to the bridge. Tyler and Amy were already there, standing quietly off to the side. Ethan could see why. There was a new woman and a man on the bridge, talking to Alanah. He recognized them by their uniforms. They were from Amazon, the company that he was going to be working for, the signature ensignia patched onto the left shoulder of their suit. It was a curved arrow under a four pointed star which was nestled inside a large stylized A without the middle line.

They turned towards Brian and Ethan as the door slid open. Brian nodded his head in respect and walked over to Tyler and Amy, leaving Ethan in the gaze of the two Amazonians. The woman was tall, with angular features and golden eyes. Some dark hair poked out from under her military-esque hat. The man was shorter and stockier with shaved hair and a heavy jaw. Ethan felt his blood running cold. He gripped his helmet tighter.

“Ethan Nestor, I presume,” the woman said, looking him up and down. Ethan felt like he was being scanned. “My name is Captain Demitria Arthmael. This is my first mate, Morgan Killroy. You will address me as Captain or Captain Arthmael, and Killroy as such.”

Ethan nodded, swallowing thickly.

“Follow us,” Captain Arthmael said, turning on her heel to the opposite door, the one that lead off the ship and onto the Amazonian one.

“Wait,” Ethan said, and quickly amended, “Captain Arthmael. May I say goodbye?”

“We have no time to lose,” Captain Arthmael said, fixing him with her flashing gold eyes, and Ethan felt like he was caught in the gaze of a hawk. “Do not disobey me again Nestor.”

Captain Arthmael continued walking, her boots clicking on the metal of the ship.

Ethan took one last look over his shoulder at his crew and friends. He didn’t know if he would ever be back. Their company, Convalor, was going under, being consumed by Amazon, and Ethan didn’t know where the others would end up if it did. Brian flashed him a hopeful smile. Tyler gave him a thumbs up. Alanah wouldn’t look at him. Amy just smiled. Ethan watched them from the other side of the gangplank as the airlock slid closed, craning his neck to take the four of them in, trying to commit it to memory. Alanah caught his eye at the last second, and he saw why she was avoiding him. He could feel the shock of grief and pity from all the way across the plank as their eyes locked. And then the doors closed.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, turning him roughly and shoving him forward. It was Killroy, who was behind him as the Captain led him deeper into the ship.

“This is the Crispin, a top of the line gunner,” Captain Arthmael said, keeping her brisk pace, hands clasped behind her, “You are not to ask questions. Information will be given to you as you need it. You are under constant visual and auditory observation. Do I make myself clear Nestor.”

“Yes Captain,” Ethan said, trying desperately to keep up with her.

“After you complete your daily tasks you are to go straight back to your quarters and wait for your next order. You will be provided whatever you need to complete your mission. Normally I would give you your uniform first, but we have no time,” Captain Arthmael said the last part with extreme disdain. Ethan shuddered as they turned the corner and he almost smacked into her.

They were stopped in front of a white door. Ethan could see the seams a few feet around it. This was a holding cell. Captain Arthmael punched a code into a panel next to the door, and then scanned her eyes, and only then did the door open with a sort of hiss. Kilroy shoved Ethan inside wordlessly, Ethan almost falling over out of shock and the force of it. Nothing on or off planet could have prepared him for what he saw.

Against the far wall, its hands bound tight in front of it in electric cuffs, a thick collar around its neck, ankles bound together, each clasp magnetized to the floor, was a creature Ethan had never seen before. Its skin was rocky, like lava stone, cut into jagged shapes where the creatures skin shone through, glowing an angry reddish gold. It was vaguely human shaped, but its skin was glistening, and all that red color, except for certain spots that flickered through orange and yellow. On its head were tendrils of an almost bruise color, looking sort of like human hair. It flashed its teeth at him, snarling and clicking, mouth full of needle teeth. Its eyes fixed on him, filled with hate. The pupils were almost W shaped. Ethan saw there was a puddle of thick viscous liquid seeping out under the thrashing creature.  _ Blood _ . Ethan realized as the creature gave another hearty jerk and he caught sight of a huge gash in its stomach.

“You have two hours,” came Captain Arthmael’s voice from a speaker, unseen in the room, “Or you both die here.”

Ethan scrambled to his feet, fumbling for a cube in his pocket. He pulled the wrong one twice before finding it, throwing it to the ground where it sprang to full size. The creature thrashed harder as Ethan flung the lid open, rifling through the drawers grabbing gauze, stitches, cleaning ointment, everything he could think would help. The creature gave a particularly loud crunching hissing sputter.

“It’s okay it’s okay,” Ethan murmured, fumbling with gloves, trying to keep his hands sterile, not aware if he was talking to the creature or himself, “I’m going to help. It’s going to be okay.”

He turned to the creature, trying to approach as nonthreatening as possible. The magnet on its neck and hands deactivated, and for a moment it lashed at Ethan with sharp claws before the cuffs reactivated, pulling its hands behind it to snap against the wall. Its stomach was exposed now, and it writhed harder with its sensitive underbelly exposed. Ethan could see the most of the damage now. There was a huge incision in its middle, which was seeping that bruise colored liquid. He reached forward to try and help, and the creature lunged at him, managing somehow to catch his hand. Ethan felt needle teeth in his arm. He fixed the creature with his hazel eyes, remembering what he learned about dog bites with blood pounding in his ears. Ethan didn’t move. He didn’t want to lose his arm.

“There,” Ethan said softly, “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here to help.”

The creature fixed him with those piercing brown W shaped eyes and slowly opened its jaws, leaning back. Its posture relaxed, and to Ethan’s distant surprise the angry red faded to a pulsing purple, flickering with occasional lightning bolts of white. Ethan forced his hands to stop shaking as he reached for the creature’s middle. He could feel its skin even though the gloves. It was smooth, and almost slimy, and far softer than any human flesh. The creature winced as he cleaned the wound, but didn’t struggle. Ethan could tell it was tired. He did his best to stitch and pack the wound, knowing next to nothing about the alien’s biology but doing what he was taught by school and by Amy. Finally the bleeding was stopped. The creature looked at its middle, and then at Ethan. Its skin was spotted with teal now, as its eyes flicked back to Ethan.

“Well done Nestor,” came Captain arthmael’s voice.

The door slid open and Killroy strode in and Ethan scrambled to pack his usable stuff back into the cube before standing and being manhandled out of the room by Killroy. He chanced another glance at the creature, who was slumping down, eyes sliding closed as it faded to purple and the industrial lights turned the room to black.

Killroy led Ethan to his quarters. They were basic and small with a tiny shower in the corner and a sink against one wall. He was pushed into the room, which was becoming a theme, and Ethan was alone. He took a shower, watching the viscous blood run down the drain, and he thought back to the creature. He continued to think as he toweled off and pulled on his boxers, climbing into bed. As Ethan fell asleep he saw amber eyes, staring back at him with something akin to fear under all the rage. What the hell was Amazon planning?


	2. A Competent Medic

Ethan woke to his door being opened. He didn’t know what time it was, not that it really mattered in space, but he felt groggy. Kilroy was in the doorway.

“Get up,” he said. His voice was clipped and deep, with no emotion behind it. Ethan scrambled to his feet and Kilroy handed him a bundle of clothes. “You have five minutes to change and then I am escorting you to the asset.”

_ He must mean the creature _ . Ethan thought. Kilroy didn’t shut the door, so Ethan hurriedly stood behind the footboard of his small bed and scrambled into his uniform. It was the standard researcher outfit most companies used, with a knee-length overcoat that buttoned slightly to the left and thick pants with sturdy shoes that went up to his calves. It also had a patch with the Amazon logo on the shoulder and a flared collar with a single star on the lapel. Ethan grabbed his medical cube from yesterdays pants and quickly pulled the rest of the cubes out too just in case.

“We will be burning your old uniform,” Kilroy said, and Ethan thought he heard some sort of sick joy in the man’s voice. “You belong to Amazon now.”

Ethan nodded, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t trust his voice not to betray him. Kilroy turned on his heel and started walking. Ethan followed quickly. They came again to the brig, and the familiar white door. Kilroy tapped a pattern on the keypad and scanned his hand before the door slid open. Ethan ducked inside before Kilroy could shove him in.

The creature was curled in the corner. Its legs were still magnetized to the floor and its hands together but no longer bound to the floor. Ethan set down his medical cube and started pulling things out, trying to ignore the piercing amber gaze of the creature. It was all desaturated dark green now, with little spots of indigo and light grey-blue. 

Ethan moved closer, carefully redressing the wound. The creature flinched from his touch, but kept still. Ethan muttered quietly as he worked, not knowing if the creature could understand him, but hoping it could understand the gentle tone of his voice. The first thing he noticed as the lava-rock like formations had vanished. In their wake were stripes and splotches of rougher skin, a bit more vibrant than the other parts of its body.

Ethan took out his stethoscope, not knowing if the creature even breathed air, but willing to try. He gently pressed the cold metal to the creature’s chest. It rumbled at him and jerked away, but Ethan noticed the sluggishness of its movements.

“It’s okay,” Ethan said gently, “I want to listen to your breathing and your heart.”

The creature relaxed. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He plugged the headpiece into his ears and the metal drum to the creature’s chest. There was the familiar woosh of air, and a strange fluttering beating of blood, but the breaths were rattling and short, as if there was a weight on the creature’s chest. He took the stethoscope out of his ears. Ethan looked up at the alien. Its eyes were still glued to him, watching his every move, but his eyes were slightly dull. Ethan realized what was wrong.

“Lower the gravity!” Ethan half-shouted, turning to look over his shoulder to where the door had melted into the walls. “Try a sixth of a g!”

There was a slow moment of silence, and then he felt the gravity of the room change as the artificial field lessened. It was enough to hold him to the ground, but Ethan knew it would be hard to move now. He turned back to the creature, and saw an instant improvement. Even without using his stethoscope Ethan could see the creature breathing easier, and the colors on its chest were shifting with more ease and brightness. Now there was light orange on its skin as it regarded Ethan with intelligent but wary eyes. Ethan just sat there, locked in its gaze. It slowly reached out its bound hands towards him, and Ethan moved back a bit, remembering those sharp claws. But the creature was slow and persistent, palms open. It made a soft chittering noise deep in the back of its throat, and there was a blueish violet color around its eyes. Ethan let it reach forward, where its hands came in contact with his bandaged arm. Ethan held his breath. The creature fixed him with those deep brown eyes and cooed again, this time the rough spots flashed blue and purple, and it was intense. Ethan didn’t know how he knew but he knew the creature was sorry.

“It’s okay,” Ethan said, gently resting his hand over the creature’s. “It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

The door clunked open behind them, and the creature growled, jolting back and focused on something behind Ethan. It’s whole body was orange and red and purple again as it hissed. Ethan whipped around and saw Captain Arthmael behind him, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Good job Nestor,” she said, striding into the room with grace despite the low gravity. Ethan saw something in her hands, long and thin. “We had no idea their gravity needs would be so dissimilar from a humans.”

“Y-yes ma’am,” Ethan stuttered. The creature was wholly fixed on Captain Arthmael now, snarling. It’s hands were one again magnetized to the floor. Ethan couldn’t tell if it was trying to get closer to her or farther away.

“Now that we know we have a competent medic on hand,” Captain Arthmael said, moving the thing behind her back to point it at the creature. “We can get back to business.” she seemed to notice Ethan again, and fixed him with cold eyes. “Go back to your room.”

Ethan gathered his things as quickly as he could and fled the room. But as he was scampering through the heavy door he heard the unmistakable crackle of electricity and an ear-shattering scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly shorter! I had to update mark's color chart, so just refer to the chart in the tumblr post im linking here: https://technicolortortoise.tumblr.com/post/637440512840859648/some-art-for-a-fic-im-working-on-called-the
> 
> im glad you guys are liking it! this chapter is even more evidence as to why you shouldnt like captain arthmael and why you should stan alien!mark instead


	3. I Think I Want to be Like You

Ethan unpacked. The cubes were strewn around his room, some of them not even full size, as he rummaged around next to the corner closet. It was a sort of circular thing, which jutted out into the room a bit, and the inside rotated. He didn’t have much to put inside, but he put in his uniform, and the one hoodie he managed to save from being incinerated because he put it in his book-box by accident. He stacked the last one inside the closet and went over to the tiny desk. It was white and grey, like the rest of the room, with a simple monitor embedded into the wall and holo-keyboard in the surface of the desk. Ethan sat down in the simple chair in front of it and wheeled it slightly to the left.

There was a dispenser in the wall, top of the line, made by Amazon of course, that synthesized raw nutrients into whatever food or drink you wanted. Back on Alanah’s ship they had one, but Ethan preferred brewed coffee to synthesized. The beans were hard to come by in space, and he had to make it last by only drinking a cup every couple days, but the flavor was so much better.

Ethan sighed and pushed a few buttons on the console. After a few confirming beeps and scanning his fingerprint the smell of hot coffee filled the room. The protective door slid open and he took the mug. It was the perfect body safe temperature, and had a few ounces of cream and a packet of sugar, exactly how he liked it. But there was something off about it, something artificial. Ethan finished it anyway, logging into the computer as he nursed his coffee.

There wasn’t much. The internet here was owned by Amazon, and he could only see their news sites and other information. They weren’t even allowed a social media, unlike the last company he worked for. So much for contacting his old crew.

Ethan scrolled down the list of items on the computer that it could synthesize for him. The food came from the table, while the drinks from the wall. It all seemed very… hollow. Back on the old ship they would synthesize raw ingredients and then cook those. Tyler figured out it made the food suck less. Ethan sighed and selected this noodle dish, carbonara. After a few minutes of humming a slot in the table opened and he pulled out the bowl. Snapping the utensils off the sides of the plastic he dug in. It didn’t taste quite right either but he didn’t have much else to do.

Ethan fiddled with the computer for a while longer, figuring out eventually that it had some rudimentary games on it, and finishing his food.

As he was dumping everything into the table to be dropped into the incinerator someone knocked on Ethan’s door. Ethan opened it and saw Captain arthmael standing in the doorway, looking down at him.

“Nestor,” she said.

“C-Captain,” Ethan stuttered, not quite meeting her gaze.

“You are needed imidiatelyu in the research lab. I have ensured you will be undisturbed. You are not going to be observed anymore, but I expect daily reports from you. Now. Get to the research lab.” Before Ethan could ask where that was, Captain arthmael swept out of his doorway.

Ethan cursed, quickly reaching for his lab coat and medical box. He quickly scanned his computer, thankfully finding a map of the ship. The research lab was two floors down, but other than that not too far. Ethan set out for the lab, only getting lost once in the maze of identical hallways on the ship. The door was locked, but with his fingerprint it opened. Inside was a standard lab, with a few benches and a wall of medical equipment.

Ethan saw Kilroy in the corner, guarding the creature. The alien was bleeding everywhere, slumped on the floor. It wasn’t bound to the ship, but it was cuffed, and muzzled this time with a thick guard of plastic covering its face. Kilroy was holding a long pole with two prongs on the end, pointed carefully at the creature’s neck.

“Nestor,” Kilroy said, lowering his weapon.

“Kilroy, sir,” Ethan said, avoiding the man’s eyes.

“Make sure it doesn’t die,” Kilroy said, “And call on your telepad if something goes wrong.”

Ethan nodded, swallowing thickly. Kilroy strode out of the room. His boots left a trail of blood. Ethan looked at the creature. It was a deep, rich purple mostly, with mottlings of orange and red like angry scars. As the door closed behind Kilroy they started to dullen, and Ethan saw little sparks of soft olive blooming over its skin.

Ethan just looked into its eyes for a moment. They were so intelligent. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this creature was just as if not more smart than he was. Ethan reached out and the creature flinched, but Ethan kept going. He gently unclasped the muzzle and brought it close to him, not letting his eyes leave the creature’s.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan said in a hushed whisper, crouching down next to the creature, “I’m so sorry.”

The creature opened its mouth, revealing the mess of needle sharp teeth. There was a popping, hissing noise, like grinding gravel, and then…

“Thank… you…”

Ethan almost fell over in shock. The creature had spoken. It was low and growly, syllables thick and rich and uncertain. The words floated between them and laced around Ethan. He felt something inside him contract, in surprise he decided.

“You speak English,” Ethan squeaked out.

There was a low rumbling noise and the edges of the creature’s eyes crinkled. Ethan realized it was laughing.

“I’m glad that worked,” the creature said, and then coughed, a terrible wheezing crunching noise.

“Let me look at you,” Ethan said, resizing his medicine cube and pulling things out. The creature nodded.

Ethan worked with slightly shaking hands, working on the wounds. They looked like burn scars. All over its chest and some on its neck, fluttering across its shoulderblades and even one right at the top of its incision in its stomach. Ethan changed those bandages too.

“What should I call you?” Ethan asked as he worked.

The creature thought for a while. “My name is,” and it made a strange clicking popping noise followed by a burst of brilliant olive across its face. “It means ‘admired.’”

Ethan hummed, “I don’t think I can pronounce that, I’m sorry.”

“Tell me some human names,” the creature said, resting its head on the cold laboratory floor as Ethan worked on its stomach.

Ethan listed as many as he could think of. He had no idea what gender the alien was, if it even had one, so he just listed all the ones he could remember.

“Say that last one again?” the creature said.

“Mark?” Ethan said.

The creature hummed, thinking. Then there was a flash of goldenrod across its stomach. “I like that one.”

“Do you have a gender?” Ethan asked.

“Gender,” the creature, Mark, echoed.

“It’s a social thing. Humans categorize themselves that way. It’s sorta tied up in sex, the anatomy thing not the act.” He rambled on for a minute about gender and sex and how they were entwined but not the same and about the idea of being transgender, but then trailed off, “I’m sorry I’m rambling.”

Mark rumbled in his chest. He was lying flat on his back on the ground and Ethan was sitting with his back to the bench, knees pulled to his chest.

“Tell me about your human genders.” Mark said.

“Uh okay,” Ethan said. “I’m a boy. That’s like, how I think about it? It’s kinda an internal thing. Traditionally human boys are supposed to be tough and provide for their families and be strong…” Ethan trailed off, looking at his knees. He knew that wasn’t what being a boy meant to him, but he didn’t know how to put that into words. And the definition he gave surely didn’t fit him.

“That sounds like,” Mark said something in his language, “I do that.” he looked at Ethan, brows furrowed, “You seem unhappy?”

“I’m not very good at being a boy,” Ethan said softly, almost to himself. “I’m soft, and scared, all the time. I’m not…”

Mark made another rumbling noise. There was a new color spreading across his face and chest, down his arms, somewhere between purple and blue.

“I think I want to be whatever you are,” it said, looking back at the ceiling.

“Like me?” Ethan echoed, looking up.

Mark trilled an agreement, nodding, “You are kind. Like no other human I have ever met.”

Ethan felt himself at once blush and like he was going to cry.

“Thank you,” he choked out. Mark’s eyes flashed to him, a little concerned at his tone, a bit of pale dark green stitching across him, but it faded when it saw Ethan was okay. Ethan continued, “Should I use he/him/his pronouns for you?”

“If that is what you use,” Mark said. Ethan nodded. Mark nodded back.

“You can sleep,” Ethan said, standing up to look around the lab, “I know you’re probably exhausted.”

Mark nodded. Ethan found what he was looking for. A small emergency blanket. It was thin and strangely reflective, but it would work. He also found a leg elevator, designed to elevate the limb above the heart and slow bleeding, and brought them to Mark.

“Here,” Ethan said, “I’m sorry it's not much.”

Mark took them, and his eyes flitted to Ethan’s. There was turquoise across his body, and for a moment ethan thought he saw a burst of yellow green, but then it was gone.

“Thank you, Ethan,” Mark said, laying down again.

Ethan watched him for a moment. Then he crept over to the supply closet, quickly finding pen and notebook. After he had written his report, he preferred to do them by hand, he sat down near Mark again. He had left out that Mark could talk. He knew it was dangerous to lie to the Captain, but he couldn’t betray Mark. They were going to kill him. Ethan knew it. He couldn’t let that happen. He would stop them, or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is! sorry if this is weird I had to rewrite it about 16 times. Thank you so much everyone for your support. it means the world to me. my mom actually wanted to read this one, so that's making me sweat!
> 
> mark talks in this one! also he gets a name finally! hooray! only three chapters in and we're past the exposition.


	4. Song of the Invisible Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a bit more about Mark, and the feelings that might be stirring between the scientist and the creature. Later, Ethan dreams of a home he's never seen and Mark remembers something he almost forgot.

They met in the research lab from then on. For the first few times Ethan just sat a little ways away from Mark, sketching. He would draw the angular curves of Mark’s face, the gentle slopes of his arms, the way his hair fell over his eyes when he slept. Ethan maintained it was for research purposes. He was a naturalist, a biologist, sketching. But sometimes his eyes lingered, forgetting his pencil, and just watched the steady rise and fall of Mark’s chest, before remembering his task and diving into it again.

Today he had snuck in extra food. Mark assured him he could consume plants, so Ethan had placed a container of rice in his pocket. Mark was eating it now, with his hands, carefully.

“Can I take your measurements?” Ethan asked, looking down at his papers, trying to keep himself from blushing.

“My what?” Mark asked, looking up. Ethan saw him smirk.

“Measurements,” Ethan repeated, “Height, weight, wingspan and all that. I should have done it sooner but… I didn’t want to stress you out since you’re still healing.”

Mark nodded, finishing the last grains from the bottom of the box before standing up. Ethan had figured out how to take off the cuffs, making sure to reclasp them at the end of their sessions. He wished he didn’t but he didn’t want to incur the wrath of the Captain. Ethan guided Mark over to the scale in the corner of the lab, encompassed by a sort of glass cylinder. Ethan took a minute to set up the computer next to it. He hadn’t used anything like this in years, since school, but he managed to get it up and running.

“It’s okay Mark,” Ethan coaxed, opening the glass doors and motioning for Mark to stand inside, “It’s safe. I’ve had this done to me before.”

“What does it do?” Mark asked, eyeing the machine skeptically.

“It uses light particles to analyze your body,” Ethan said. Mark raised an eyebrow and Ethan waved his arms, “I mean your organs! And it takes your weight and temperature. I’ll have to do the other measurements by hand but this is a good place to start. Now get in the machine.”

Mark seemed satisfied with that and stepped inside. Ethan closed the doors behind him and poked the computer a few times. Mark looked at Ethan as the machine whirred to life, and Ethan thought there was a little bit of panic in his eyes, the colors on his body flickering with light blue and dark green.

“It’s okay,” Ethan said gently, “It’s just doing its job. You’re doing great Mark.”

Mark nodded and the colors dullened, little spots of lime slowly spreading across his body. Ethan watched the data flood in. It was fascinating. Nothing was anchored in Mark’s body, the organs moving and shifting on the scan. Even the bones seemed fluid, and as Mark gave a little flinch at a particular whine of the machine and Ethan saw a bone in his spine jump to the surface and then melt back down. His body temperature was indeed lower than a humans, but not by much. Ethan felt a bit giddy as he saved the scans.

“Glad you’re excited,” Mark said nonchalantly as the machine slowed down and stopped. “Can I get out now?”

“Oh yeah,” Ethan said, moving to open the doors, “Sorry.”

Mark smiled at him, little flickers of dull yellow sparking across his chest. Ethan grabbed his tape measurer.

“Do you mind if I measure some stuff? Like your wingspan and height,” Ethan said, blushing.

“Sure,” Mark rumbled, “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Ethan took out his measuring tape and started gently nudging Mark into position. He faltered a bit when measuring Mark’s ribcage, hands stuttering over Mark’s chest. Mark flickered with forest green and turquoise before settling back into a muted olive green tone. Ethan paused when his hand hovered over Mark’s heart. He could feel it, beating irregularly for a human, but it seemed right for Mark’s species. It was slower, two knocks and then a pause. Ethan saw a blush forming under his fingers, a mix of light and dark green, with hints of yellow. Ethan pulled his hand back and finished the measurements.

The two of them sat down again. Mark noticed Ethan’s notebook and pulled it closer, looking at his notes. Ethan realized Mark was looking at a sketch he had been working on and tried to take it back but it was too late.

“Is this me?” Mark asked, smiling.

Ethan was pretty sure he knew which one Mark was looking at. It was his sketch in color, trying to capture some of the strange patterns that flittered over Mark when he slept. Mark was blushing that olive color, and Ethan realized it was embarrassment. Mentally he noted that.

“Y-yeah,” Ethan said, swallowing thickly, “I like to draw you.” Mark smirked and Ethan quickly tried to clear things up, “I mean I’m a biologist! I need to… record… stuff. For science.”

Mark frowned, and set down Ethan’s notebook. His form flickered through various shades of deep navy, shot through with aqua. Mark lay down on the floor, not saying anything. Ethan knew he messed up, but he wasn’t sure how. He didn’t press Mark, just going to the computer and working on computing and recording the data. At the end of their session Ethan clipped the handcuffs and collar back on Mark.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ethan said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Mark said, and his voice was startlingly hollow.

Ethan left the room, passing Kilroy on his way back to his cabin. He was holding the cattle prod. Ethan felt guilty. He climbed into bed after shucking off his lab coat, still in his uniform, and fell asleep after a lot of twisting and turning. He dreamed of Mark. Ethan dreamed of an Earth he’d never seen, a world lush with plants and water and grass. Breathing real crisp air. And Tyler, Amy, Brian, and Alanah were there, on a hill a ways away. Tyler waved to him with one arm. He could see Amy laugh. His mother was there, with them, and he ran to her. She was young, but he couldn’t quite remember her face, just her voice. He felt his father’s hand on his shoulder, remembering him so much more strongly. His brother ruffled his hair. And Mark was there. He was confident, walking with purpose and grace. Ethan took his hand. It felt right. It felt like home. They watched the blue cloudless sky. It felt like home.

Elsewhere, Mark curled around himself in the cold darkness of his cell. He buried his face in his arms, glowing through his eyelids. He tried to remember. He tried to dream. Soft, faint memories floating across space like a half-remembered song. He hummed along, trying to catch the melody. A bright red sky, shot through with waving bands of electric light. The ground was soft, splashing around them as they ran, laughing. He could see his mother, faintly. Feel her hands on his hair, stroking as she sang to him the song of the creation. As she sang to him the melody of energy humming all around them as light and heat and time and other things unseen. In hsi dream Ethan is there, and though he is human in the halls of Mark's dreams he holds Mark gently and reminds him. Ethan sings to him, weaving notes around them like the tapestries his grandmother used to make. Swirling hypnotic patterns telling the story of the unseen mundane divine. Mark falls asleep thinking of Ethan, remembering faintly the distant song of the invisible universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three=meet. Chapter four=feelings. Chapter five=profit???? (no promises lol. but im no good at slow burns ;-;)


	5. Distress Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark tells Ethan about his home and Ethan sends a distress call to the only people he can think of.

Mark was distant when Ethan came the next day. He accepted the food that Ethan brought, but didn’t speak. Ethan left him alone. He didn’t have much to do, so he looked at the ceiling and daydreamed. Ethan had a place he liked to go, when he was bored. He imagined Earth as he had read about it, with trees and grass and deep oceans and blue rivers. He would sit beside the river and talk to his mother in his mind, maybe this time Ethan would bring Brian in as well. He was skipping stones when Mark brought him back to the present.

“Do you know what they’re going to do to me?” Mark asked.

Ethan sat up, a little started. He shook his head.

Mark sighed, and it was a bitter, tired noise. His chest and body flashed dim shades of red and purple and blue, like a bruise. It was his turn to look up at the ceiling, not meeting Ethan’s eyes.

“They want to take my homeworld,” Mark says softly, “It’s still lush and living. But they can’t until my people are gone. They want to figure out how to kill us in the most efficient way possible.” Mark turned to Ethan, his eyes dull and sad, distant almost, “You should have let me die.”

Ethan found himself shaking his head, “But aren’t you worth more to your people alive?”

“No,” Mark said, “I’m not important. And when the humans get back to Earth they’ll have a well of information to deliver to their company.”

“What if,” Ethan spoke softly. He knew Captain arthmael wasn’t watching them but he still felt nervous, “What if we didn’t.”

Mark raised an eyebrow, flashing a dull orange.

“What if we escaped,” Ethan said, his voice hushed.

“We can’t,” Mark said, turning his head to the tiny high window. They could see pinpricks of stars out it, just barely.

“We can try,” Ethan said, determined.

“Why do you care?” Mark asked, turning to Ethan sharply. “We’re not the same.”

Ethan chewed his lip. “Maybe we’re not the same species, but I don’t want to watch an innocent person die.” Ethan scooted closer and rested a hand on Mark’s knee. “And we’re more similar than you think.”

Mark looked at Ethan’s hand, and then at Ethan’s eyes. There was olive on his face, now so close to Ethan’s. Some of those hair-like tendrils were falling in his face, framing it. Ethan felt a fluttering in his stomach. He pulled away.

“We just need to wait.” Ethan said. Mark nodded. Ethan spoke again, slowly. “Would you tell me about your home?”

Mark eyed him before Ethan added, “I won’t put it in my report. I just… want to know what it’s like.”

Mark nodded. He started with his family. “My mother was in a couple, which is pretty rare. Usually it’s three. I have an older brother. We were really close as kids.”

Mark talked to Ethan about their cities, half building and half nature, growing out of the ground like trees. He talked about the blood red sky and the electric fields swimming through the atmosphere, setting it alight. He told him about their two suns, making days almost unbearably bright and nights pleasantly cool. They laughed together as it devolved more into silly anecdotes. Ethan shared a few of his own, about his short childhood with his mother, about school, about life in space.

“I want to see it someday,” Ethan said, leaning his head back. They were next to each other in Mark’s blanket nest, not quite touching but pleasantly close.

“See what?” Mark asked.

“Trees,” Ethan sighed, “Grass.”

“You’ve never seen trees?” Mark asked.

“No,” Ethan said, pulling his knees in tight, “I was born in space, remember?”

Mark nodded. He slowly leaned in closer to Ethan. “I could try to show you?”

“What do you mean?” Ethan asked.

“Well,” Mark said, “My species shares information through singing and light. I could try singing for you.”

Ethan wasn’t sure what that would do, but he agreed. This was clearly an important thing to Mark and he didn’t want to miss a second of anything he wanted to show him. Mark nodded and closed his eyes, gently taking Ethan’s hands. The music started to weave through the air around them as Mark glowed colors Etahn had no name for. He saw, as if underwater, the lab melt away from him, and he was seeing… something. It was like shimmering points of light. He could feel something warm on his skin, the air so painfully clear. The sky was a kaleidoscope of red and shimmering ribbons. It was almost too much for him. Ethan let go of Mark’s hands. And he was back in the lab.

“That was beautiful,” Ethan said in a soft voice.

“That’s home,” Mark said, smiling sadly. Then, slowly, “If we ever get out of here… I’m going to show you for real.”

Ethan nodded ecstatically. “We will. We just need to wait for the right moment.” 

The right moment happened to be three days later. Ethan was in the hallway, walking back to his cabin, when the ship lurched to the side. Ethan was thrown off balance, slamming into the wall. The gravity cut out, as did the lights, plunging the ship into darkness. Ethan scrambled for purchase as the emergency lights hit on. Ethan realized this was his only chance.

Pushing off the wall Ethan surged towards the command center. He didn’t pass anyone on the way. This struck him as odd but he pushed on. From studying the schematics of the ship there were two control centers, one attached to the bridge and one next to the escape pods. Ethan headed for that one, hoping to god it would be less crowded or even empty. To his shock it was.

Ethan forced the heavy door open, wriggling inside. No one was inside. Ethan swam over to the main panel. When he touched it, a slightly robotic voice rang out.

“State your name.”

“Ethan Nestor-Darling,” Ethan said.

“You are not authorized to be here.” the voice said.

Ethan chewed his lip. He needed to think fast.

“I need admin permissions. The ship has been hit and our captain is out cold.”

The AI seemed to consider this before the computer’s main panel started up. Ethan kicked off the wall and managed to land at the desk. It was already queued up to send a distress signal. Ethan punched in the only number he could think of.

“This is the Crispin, Amazon Cruiser.” Ethan said, “This is an emergency. The Captain Arthmael has gone rogue. I am currently being held captive with one other member of the crew. I repeat. This is an emergency.”

Ethan picked their coordinates and speed and relayed those. After doing the whole speech twice he fiddled around on the computer, trying to make it look like nothing happened. It wasn’t perfect, but Brian had taught him a few things. Ethan wriggled back out of the command center and headed back to his room. As he was turning the corner he ran smack into the Captain.

“What are you doing Nestor?” she asked, amber eyes flashing.

“I got lost,” Ethan said, lying through his teeth. “I’m headed to my room.”

“So you  _ didn’t _ send a distress call to the  _ Arrakis _ ?” Captain Arthmael asked, leaning closer. Kilroy moved out behind her. Captain Arthmael leaned back. “Put him with the creature. We will decide what to do with him later.”

Ethan tried to move, but under zero gravity that was next to impossible. The last thing Ethan saw was Kilroy, slamming into him and shoving his head into the floor. Stars exploded in Ethan’s eyes before he was engulfed with darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry i feel like this one is a bit shite


End file.
